James Marsden

Movies

The Butler Trailer: See Famous Actors Play Our Most Famous Presidents

It's only May, but the trailer for Lee Daniels's The Butler already has me thinking about award season.

It's only May, but the trailer for Lee Daniels's The Butler already has me thinking about award season. The drama stars Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, a butler who serves eight US presidents over the course of his three decades at the White House. Working through particularly volatile moments in the country's history, he gains a unique perspective on the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, and more. Oprah Winfrey plays Cecil's wife, marking the first time she's been on screen playing a character other than herself since 1998's Beloved.

Whitaker and Winfrey aren't the only big names in the movie. The laundry list of stars playing presidents is fascinating: Robin Williams is Dwight Eisenhower, James Marsden is John F. Kennedy (with Minka Kelly as Jackie Kennedy!), Liev Schreiber is Lyndon Johnson, John Cusack is Richard Nixon, and Alan Rickman is Ronald Reagan. Not all the actors resemble their presidential counterparts, so I'm curious to see how this pans out. The film opens Oct. 18, and you can see the trailer after the jump.

Parks and Recreation

Video: A Parks and Rec Wedding, the First Catching Fire Posters, and More Headlines!

Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope and Adam Scott's Ben Wyatt whip up their last-minute nuptials with the help of their Pawnee crew in this week's special double episode of Parks and Recreation — and we both loved and liked how it all went down.

Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope and Adam Scott's Ben Wyatt whip up their last-minute nuptials with the help of their Pawnee crew in this week's special double episode of Parks and Recreation — and we both loved and liked how it all went down. Get the highlights from their city hall ceremony, why the first Catching Fire posters will be even more fun for true fans, who the latest addition to the Anchorman 2 cast is, and more entertainment headlines!

Stars on the Set

Elizabeth Banks, Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, and More Stars on Set

Celebrities kicked off February by getting to work on set this week.

Celebrities kicked off February by getting to work on set this week. Elizabeth Banks and James Marsden seemed to be having fun filming Walk of Shame in West Hollywood, while Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt were smiling on the set of their new movie All You Need Is Kill in London. In NYC, AnnaSophia Robb filmed scenes for The Carrie Diaries, and Jennifer Hudson hailed a cab on the set of Black Nativity. Click through to see all of this week's stars on set!

Movies

James Marsden Heads to Walk of Shame and the Week's Other Big Casting News

Seth MacFarlane's face is coming to a movie screen near you, The Amazing Spider-Man sequel has cast its Harry Osborn, and James Marsden snagged a role as Elizabeth Banks's romantic lead.

Seth MacFarlane's face is coming to a movie screen near you, The Amazing Spider-Man sequel has cast its Harry Osborn, and James Marsden snagged a role as Elizabeth Banks's romantic lead. All this — and more! — went down this week on the Hollywood scene. Find out about the industry's biggest casting news (including an update on Anchorman 2) starting in three, two, one . . .

Diane Kruger

Rihanna Makes the Rounds and New Friends Inside GQ's Bash

Inside last night's GQ Men of the Year party, celebs let loose at LA's Chateau Marmont.

Inside last night's GQ Men of the Year party, celebs let loose at LA's Chateau Marmont. Rihanna, who celebrated being named the magazine's Obsession of the Year, made the rounds saying hi to guys like James Marsden, Frank Ocean, and Jamie Foxx. She even posed for some silly photos with Modern Family star Eric Stonestreet. Eric seemed to be pretty popular at the bash, and also said cheese alongside Ali Larter and Rashida Jones. Revenge gang Emily VanCamp, Ashley Madekwe, Christa B. Allen, Connor Paolo, and Joshua Bowman hung out too. Real-life couple Emily and Josh were too cute posing with another of their small-screen costars, Gabriel Mann. There were other fun celeb friendships blossoming. Aziz Ansari had a drink with Darren Criss, as James Marsden, Julianne Hough, and Kate Walsh made the rounds. Lone Ranger star Armie Hammer stuck by the side of his wife, Elizabeth Chambers. Much more went down, so click through to see the photos.

Kirsten Dunst

Isla and Kirsten Coordinate to Premiere Bachelorette With Lizzy

The ladies of Bachelorette, Lizzy Kaplan, Kirsten Dunst, and Isla Fisher, gathered for their LA premiere last night.

The ladies of Bachelorette, Lizzy Kaplan, Kirsten Dunst, and Isla Fisher, gathered for their LA premiere last night. They had company on the red carpet from their leading man James Marsden, as well as their movie's director Leslye Headland and costar Rebel Wilson. Isla, Kirsten, and Lizzy coordinated in a patriotic range of red, white, and blue — who's your pick for best dressed at the Bachelorette premiere? Isla's red number was from Reem Acra, and Kirsten's blue was designed by Jean Paul Gaultier. At the film's ArcLight Cinemas afterparty, Ali Larter showed her tummy in a striped outfit, paird with an Edie Parker clutch, and made the rounds alongside husband Hayes MacArthur. Bachelorette hits theaters Sept. 7, but is available on demand already.

Shirtless

Elizabeth Banks's Family Vacation, Shirtless Josh Radnor's Twilight PDA — Maui Film Fest Highlights!

The Maui Film Festival brought a range of stars to Hawaii over the weekend, and there was plenty of time away from screening and ceremonies.

The Maui Film Festival brought a range of stars to Hawaii over the weekend, and there was plenty of time away from screening and ceremonies. Josh Radnor, who picked up the Triple Threat Award last week, was free to get shirtless at the beach with a new lady friend. The How I Met Your Mother star played on the sand Saturday with a bikini-clad Julia Jones, who's best known as playing one of the werewolves in the Twilight series. There was similar waterside fun in store for Elizabeth Banks, who played with her husband, Max, and son, Felix, that afternoon.

That night, it was James Marsden's turn to be feted. James received the Nova Award for original performances, and Elizabeth dressed up to attend a party in his honor. James said of the prize, "It's sort of an achievement award for playing diverse roles . . . One of the defining things about me as an actor is I'm a guy who plays a lot of different roles." Yesterday, Elizabeth threw on a pretty dress for an official event during the festival. She took home the Navigator Award and said a few words after accepting a plaque. Elizabeth then presided over a screening of her new movie, People Like Us.

James Marsden

James Marsden Goes Shirtless For a Dip in Hawaii

James Marsden went shirtless in Maui yesterday, showing off his buff body as he relaxed on the beach and toweled off from his swim in the ocean.

James Marsden went shirtless in Maui yesterday, showing off his buff body as he relaxed on the beach and toweled off from his swim in the ocean. James is in Hawaii for the Maui Film Festival, which will award him with the Nova Award for original performances tomorrow. The getaway comes as a relaxing vacation for James, who became a series regular as Liz Lemon's boyfriend on the most recent season of 30 Rock. He was in NYC just last week. James looked dapper at the Tony Awards to present the statue for best performance by a featured actress in a musical. Another special day is coming up for the dad of two. James, dad to kids Jack and Mary, is one of the celebrity dads marking Father's Day.

Hugh Jackman

Broadway's Best Crowned at the Tony Awards

Last night's 2012 Tony Awards celebrated the year's best of Broadway.

Last night's 2012 Tony Awards celebrated the year's best of Broadway. Neil Patrick Harris emceed the show and caught up with his fiancé, David Burtka, afterward. Honors were handed out to big winners like Once and Peter and the Starcatcher, which netted eight and five Tonys, respectively. Andrew Garfield and Phillip Seymour Hoffman were passed over in their best actor categories, but their Death of a Salesman director, Mike Nichols, won his ninth Tony for directing. The production also won best revival. Other statues went to best actress in a musical Audra McDonald for The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess and best leading actress in a play, Venus and Fur's Nina Arianda. Best actor in a musical went to Once's Steve Kazee, and the corresponding actor in a play prize was handed to James Corden for One Man, Two Guvnors. It was a star-studded night with appearances from Jessica Chastain, James Marsden, Amanda Seyfried, and Hugh Jackman. Hugh was actually a winner and received a Special Tony Award from wife Deborra-Lee Furness. Andrew might not have gone home with gold, but he was still able to mark the evening with girlfriend Emma Stone.

Sundance Film Festival

Sundance Snapshot: Bachelorette

There was more than one wedding-themed movie at Sundance this year, and Bachelorette was one of the most buzzed-about.

There was more than one wedding-themed movie at Sundance this year, and Bachelorette was one of the most buzzed-about. The comedy features a ton of familiar faces, but serves up something a little different from what we've seen in the genre before.

  • Who's behind it? Kirsten Dunst, Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan, Isla Fisher, and James Marsden lead the funny cast. First-time director Leslye Headland also penned the script.
  • What's it about? A group of high school BFFs reunite for the wedding of their friend Becky (Rebel Wilson). There's uptight, prissy Regan (Dunst), who begrudgingly accepts her role as maid of honor despite her bitterness that her less-attractive friend is getting married before her; cynical Gena (Caplan), who's determined to confront her high school ex (Scott) at the wedding; and ditsy Katie (Fisher), who is actually depressed beneath her bubbly exterior.
  • What did I think? Comparisons to Bridesmaids are inevitable, but the movies really are quite different. For starters, Bachelorette is darker, edgier, and has a lot less slapstick (think coke binges instead of food poisoning). Some of the more dramatic undercurrents go a bit too far, particularly Katie's downward spiral through the course of the night, which don't exactly jive with some of the cheesier, warm-and-fuzzy scenes. Though it's a bit uneven, the stellar cast makes the film entertaining, even if it's not worth a standing ovation.